Filtering by Tag: Propaganda

Propaganda poster to promote knitting for the troops during WWI. Circa 1914-1918.

For all of you history buffs who are knitting fanatics, too. (C'mon, I know I'm not the only one!) I thought you'd find this as fantastic as I did! It is a collection of patterns from the Red Cross for soldiers at war during World War II.

I love propaganda posters. I love how they become timeless emblems of a nation united for a cause. The idea of knitting for soldiers during times of war is far from a new one obviously. But the thought of being so generous during times of great poverty, when everything from clothing to food was being rationed. Did you know during WWII that women's clothing was limited to no more than three buttons? (A good thing to know when you are shopping for vintage buttons!)

Yet the willingness to fill the need, ripping apart old clothing to make clothing for the men fighting overseas, phenomenal.

One of my favorite little details about these patterns is that they aren't simply retyped... they are actual scanned images of the original patterns, yellowed, tattered edges and all!